Climbing the Ladder with the National League West

Tight 4-team race excludes Giants

In the early hours of the morning the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers played the second half of their two-game trip to China.

These two teams have something in common ­– each has recently recorded an 82-win season. The difference is that when the Padres did it in 2005, they won the division, and when the Dodgers did it in 2007, it was good for only fourth place.

Expect another competitive division this year. The San Francisco Giants are the only team that won’t be in serious contention for the division title.

At long last the Barry Bonds era is over in the Bay. And with Dan Ortmeier and Rich Aurilia battling for the starting job at first base, it’s the Giants who lose.

Perhaps the only reason to tune in to Giants games this season is to see how the youngsters Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum develop. This team could flirt with 100 losses.

The Giants’ long-time rivals, the Dodgers are slight favorites in what will be a tight four-horse race. New manager Joe Torre will have to capitalize on their talent.

The Dodgers’ lineup will look very much like it did last year, with Andruw Jones and Matt Kemp replacing Luis Gonzalez and Andre Ethier in the outfield.

Kemp, Ethier, Russell Martin, James Loney and Andy LaRoche constitute a solid young core, and veterans Jones, Rafael Furcal, Nomar Garciaparra, Jeff Kent and Juan Pierre could provide the experience necessary to take home the title.

The Padres don’t have the same big-name talent as the Dodgers, but the additions of Tadahito Iguchi and Jim Edmonds improved what was a mediocre offense.

Jake Peavy, the 2007 NL Cy Young Award-winner, heads a strong rotation in a pitcher’s park. If Mark Prior manages to get back on track in his hometown, the Friars will be tough to beat.

Seeing their divisional rivals suddenly turn into 90-game-winners, the Padres won’t dominate the division the way they have in recent years, but they still have a shot.

Outside the state of California, the Arizona Diamondbacks will look very familiar this season. They don’t have the same star power talent as the Dodgers, but their bats can get the job done.

Eric Byrnes, baseball’s poster boy for hustle, and all-star Orlando Hudson lead a lineup that also boasts a number of intriguing hitters in their early- to mid-20s.

The Diamondbacks made two key changes to their pitching staff. All-star closer Jose Valverde left for Houston, and former Oakland Athletics ace Dan Haren joined 2006 Cy Young Award-winner Brandon Webb at the top of the rotation.

Valverde will be missed, but Brandon Lyon, Tony Pena, Chad Qualls and Juan Cruz give the D’backs a formidable bullpen.

Not to be forgotten, the reigning NL Champion Colorado Rockies are an enigma. The ballpark effects of Coors Field undoubtedly distort the numbers, but the extent of the distortion is unclear.

Which Rockies will emerge this year – the team that went on a 21-1 run to leap from fourth place in the NL West to the World Series or the franchise that hadn’t had a winning season since 2000?

The Rox will return a very familiar cast this year, but it might not be enough in a competitive division. If September wasn’t a fluke, however, they will be right up there competing for the title.

It was the Rockies’ pitching that made the miraculous possible, and the 2008 NL West will be defined by strong pitching.

Peavy and Webb, arguably the top two pitchers in Major League baseball, set the tone for the division – defense wins championships.